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Grand-AM: Rolex 24 a family affair for Gurney

January 27, 2012

Alex Gurney, whose father, Dan Gurney, won the first-ever 24 Hours of Daytona in 1962, is looking to follow in his dad's footsteps. Gurney and his team led after an hour of racing at Daytona on Saturday. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Racing at Daytona is becoming a family tradition for Corvette driver Alex Gurney.

Gurney's father, Dan Gurney, won the inaugural 24-hour race at Daytona in 1962, and on Saturday, the younger Gurney found himself in the lead at the one-hour mark of the 50th running of the race.

“Yeah, we're pretty happy,” Gurney said. “At the very beginning of the race, you're always focused on not hitting anything and making sure no one does anything crazy on the start, and [I] was happy about that.”

Gurney was driving the No. 99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype. Saturday's performance marked the first laps ever led by the new Corvette.

With his father having won the first running of the event, Gurney said a win would be special.

“That kind of chance doesn't come along very often,” he said. “Fifty years is a big landmark, so I'm definitely hoping to [win]. We haven't won this race before, so it's the perfect time to make it happen.”